


Different Similarities

by marvelshipperdipper



Category: Marvel, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-12 23:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7127867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelshipperdipper/pseuds/marvelshipperdipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School AU where new girl Crystalia Amaquelin, who has kept her elemental powers a secret from humans all her life, meets the peculiar and secluded Maximoffs, which she quickly learns have powers themselves. She is particularly interested in Pietro, the speedster himself</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Encounter

All it took was a little hex magic, and that was it.

Crystalia Amaquelin had recently moved from her homeland of Attilan, and was thus labeled as the "new girl" at her new high school. She heard the whispers as she walked down the hallways: "What is with that black thing in her hair?" "Why does she always wear yellow?" She wasn't deaf, but still held her chin up high. Crystal plastered on a small, amicable smile as she maneuvered her way through the zig-zag of unfamiliar hallways.

After her third day of school, she still had not befriended anyone. There were the occasional guys who would glance at her and the queen bees who eyed her up like they were tracking prey, but other than that, she was practically invisible. She did not mind it much, though. As per her family's traditions, she somewhat was used to being isolated and alone.

The last bell had finally rung, and she gently put her backpack on her shoulders and meandered through eager students and teachers to get to her locker. She twisted the lock slowly, inaudibly whispering the passcode as she attempted to open it. After a couple tries, she hopelessly reached out and pulled the handle one final time. Miraculously, it opened. She sighed softly in relief as she piled in her heavy textbooks, happy that she didn't have to lug all that weight home.

She closed her locker door and turned around, realizing that hardly anyone was left in the school. She mentally sighed this time, realizing her own unpopularity. With a slight readjustment of her backpack, the new girl started her journey of finding the main entrance of the school.

Eventually, she made it outside. The sun's warm rays and the rolling green landscape around her somehow re-energized Crystal. The change of scenery refreshed her from staring at the same, mental-asylum-white walls in nearly every classroom.

She looked at her phone briefly to see if her older sister, Medusa, was on her way to pick her up. She smiled very softly when she opened the new message and read that Crystal would be making her escape from the school very shortly. In the mean time, she sat down on the school's front steps and waited patiently, observing the serene landscape.

Across the road, but still on school property, she saw two students, one male, one female, sitting against a large tree trunk. They were reading their textbooks and working intently on some sort of complex homework, only breaking eye contact from the pages to ask the other a question or two. The male, who sported jeans, a long sleeved, blue and gray t-shirt and had shaggy, white hair, tore his eyes away from his textbook for a long moment. He looked over at the female and asked if she could pass his water bottle, which was far out of his reach. The female, who wore almost all red and black and had flowing, brown locks, did not look up as she reached one hand up slowly. The space around her hand and the water bottle glowed a soft red as she controlled the container to move towards the male.

Crystal watched in utter awe. These two... They were different. They did not have anybody else around them. No other friends. Just each other. In a way, the new girl admired how unconcealed the female use such glorious power. The other female did not even check if there were onlookers; she simply completed a favor for the male without batting an eye.

The new girl kept studying the two by the tree. Other than the moving water bottle, the two were completely uneventful. Crystal felt a sort of connection to these two strangers, though even she knew her feeling was groundless. She also had powers, but she was relentlessly told to hide them from humans. For now, at least, when she must get a quality education among them.

Medusa soon pulled up to the main entrance, quickly taking Crystal out of her trance. She gathered her thoughts and rose from the steps, getting in the car.

"Hello, how was school? Is it getting any more bearable for you?" her older sister asked kindly.

"I... I believe it will be soon enough."


	2. Chapter 2

Finding a spot to sit at at lunch had been proven disastrous the first couple days for Crystal. She would walk serpentine around the round tables, dodging people and backpacks on the ground, which created difficult obstacles as she navigated.

She spotted the peculiar male and female from the day before. They had a small table all to themselves, in which they conversed with each other quietly. The male must have told a funny story, Crystal remarked in her head, because he made dramatic hand motions. The female giggled softly at him being so silly.

Without realizing it, Crystal was walking over to the table. She swallowed hard as she approached them, eventually putting her lunchbox across from them. The two ceased talking and turned to the new girl.

"H-Hello, I'm Crystalia. Or Crystal."

The twins studied the outsider carefully. The female narrowed her eyes slightly and appeared as if she was focusing as she stared into Crystal's eyes. The male seemed less judgmental, but still not warmly welcoming.

"Hello, I am Pietro, and this is my sister, Wanda," he said in a thick, European accent.

Crystal didn't expect an accent, so the sound startled her a little. "May I si-?"

Wanda's lips pursed slightly. "Pietro and I usually sit alone."

Crystal looked down, still keeping her near-permanent, friendly smile. She ignored the female and sat down. "I see you have soup there, Pietro. It doesn't look very warm," she commented in a soothing voice. She reached her hands out and gently pressed them to the sides of the bowl. She focused for a couple seconds before a little steam rose from the liquid.

Pietro and Wanda watched, not completely in awe, but more surprised about how brave this new girl was. They instantly thought that she was like them, mutants, and therefore not a horrible human who would torture them.

"Amazing..." Pietro whispered quietly under his breath. His sister nodded in agreement. Heat powers were not new to them, but having a random female their age who went to their school certainly was.

Crystal pulled her hands away, a soft smirk spreading across her lips as she readjusted her posture. "May I sit here?" she asked again, sweetly, as if nothing happened.

Wanda nodded approvingly. "This makes sense now... I had difficulties getting into your head before. I apologize; I didn't mean to stare."

Crystal blinked, paused for a moment to think, then giggled. "I thought you were judging me. You had quite a look there."

Pietro smirks softly. "Or maybe that look just comes with being Eastern European. Some fear the Russian stare down, but most have yet to witness the Sokovian resting bitch face. Or, as how Americans view us, the Sokovian resting terrorist face."

Wanda and Crystal both laughed. "Ouch! That was hard on yourself," the new girl commented once she calmed down. She was slowly getting used to and even enjoying herself with the twins.

Pietro smirked proudly, for he not only got his sister to laugh, but also a beautiful and charming classmate. He somehow felt very trusting of this stranger, a feeling he never thought would come upon him. He and his sister spent majority of their lives closing people off, but in half a lunch period, the twins have found a true friend.

Around the lunchroom, a couple people noticed the odd Maximoffs talking and joking with the new girl. The other students whispered lowly about how the misfits were all fitting together like a puzzle. Johnny Storm, who was listening to one of his friends, took note of the scene and watched Crystal. He could hardly tear his eyes away from her animated face, but noticed how Pietro was in the same trance.

The lunch bell rang and the students dispersed. Crystal stood up slowly, fixing her yellow sun dress neatly, before sighing softly. She greatly enjoyed the twin's company, but now they had to part and she had to drag herself back to hell.

Pietro noticed the slight difference of her breath pattern. He walked over to her side. "Perhaps you could sit with Wanda and I again tomorrow?" He asked, looking straight into her eyes.

His gaze made her cheeks flare up very slightly, but she suppressed the feeling quickly when she said, "Well, if you're going to be in school on a Saturday, have fun..." she smirked softly.

Wanda couldn't help but giggle at her brother's apparent blunder. Pietro looked down at the floor for a split second. "God dammit, we have a smart ass on our hands."

Crystal laughed. "Not usually. But I saw my chance, and I took it," she said coolly before starting to walk out if the cafeteria. "Soo... How many minutes do we have to get to our next class?" she asked, changing the subject.

"At this point, probably two minutes. Do you know where you're going?" Wanda asked.

"Two minutes?! But this school is so big! And I have to be across the building to, uh... Um... That one class."

"That one class?" Pietro smirked, trying to be a smart ass himself now.

"Yeah... Crap. The teacher is short, mostly bald, and could be male or female."

The twins chuckled softly to themselves. "Mrs. M," Pietro answered. "C'mon, I'll show you that way. I'm heading around there anyway," he told Crystal before turning to his sister. "I'll meet you by your locker after class, okay?"

Wands nodded, and the twins went their separate ways. Crystal kept with Pietro to try and scout for her class.

"My, my, you walk EXTREMELY fast!" Crystal commented, having difficulty keeping up and weaving her way around students.

Pietro turned a little and glanced at her, a soft, teasing smile on his lips.

"Well... Whatever that means," Crystal thought as she continued to follow.

Eventually, the two found Crystal's classroom. She smiled warmly. "Thank you for showing me! It might take ne a few more escorts to finally rememers this classroom... Anyway, you better make like a bread truck and hauls buns to your next class! You're gonna be late!" she thanked and warned him before walking into her own classroom.

Pietro smirked, thinking about the weird analogy she just said. "She's very... Quirky," he thought before rushing off.

Crystal sat down as soon as the bell rang. She silently thanked Pietro over and over again, though her teacher was just about to give her a glare for being tardy.

Johnny Storm, having witnessed the new girl's rush to class, leaned over in his seat and whispered, "Cutting it pretty close, huh? You must WANT teachers to hate you," he joked and smirked.

Crystal turned to him, surprised that someone besides the Maximoffs was talking to her. She briefly studied him as she responded, "This school huuuge! I had to get a friend to escort me."

Johnny was planning on continuing the conversation, but Mrs. M cleared her throat in annoyance to signal that he wanted to begin class.

Crystal blushed sheepishly in embarrassment. She certainly did not want any trouble, especially from a teacher, but also wanted to make new friends. So far, the day was going well in that she gained two people she already knew she had a lot in common with. Now random students were striking up conversations with her, much to her delight.

Johnny glanced over at Crystal multiple times during note taking. He often tried to meet her eye contact so he could flash her a smile or wink at her. Or... something. He just wanted to get her attention at this point.

Crsytal slipped her feet out of her flip-flops, letting her feet dangle freely as she daydreamed about the Maximoffs and their powers. She had a feeling that the two were very powerful, but she was not even sure of Pietro's powers yet.

At the end of class, Johnny shot up out of his seat to offer to guide Crystal to her next class, but the new girl was quick to make an escape. She was too excited to learn all about Pietro and Wanda.


	3. Chapter 3

A/T: Okay, last boring chapter, I SWEAR! I don't want things to be uneventful and thus make readers lose interest, but I also have to establish characters, you know? Imagine The Fault in Our Stars without all the playful banter! It must be done. Anyway, things will pick up after this. Aaanyway, this is just one of those "fuck it" chapters in which I wrote at an absurd hour of the night... Hopefully I've learned my lesson, since I'm not a huge fan of this chapter. Okay, IT WILL GET BETTER (pinky promise!!).  
\---

Crystal piloted her way around the hallways the best she could to find Pietro and Wanda, but the more she searched, the more lost she got. She looked at the room numbers and thought, "How am I in the 500 wing?! I thought the last classroom I saw was 207! And my next class is in the 300s."

As her mind began to race, she felt someone poke her from behind. "Ah!" she jumped, completely unaware of everything besides time and classroom numbers.

Johnny Storm looked at her sheepishly. "I saw you rush outta last class, but, uh, I'm pretty sure you're in my next class. And you went the wrong way."

Crystal felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Not only was she hopelessly lost, but now someone noticed that she was hopelessly lost.

"Shit... Well, thanks. Can you show me to our next class then?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, 'course," he said coolly. He walked slightly ahead of her and trailblazed passages through large groups of people. Crystal was silently delighted to have someone guide her like this again, though she realized how pathetic she looked.

Johnny led them to their next class and held the door open for her. He smiled softly at her as he walked in.

"Thank you," she smiled back.

"Welcome. Oh yeah, I don't think I said it before, but I'm Johnny."

"Good to know. My name is Cry-"

"Crystal," he smirked softly. "You're sort of the talk of the school, being the new girl and all. Aaand I hear your name during roll call."

"Oh... Right," she said, suddenly embarrassed again. She quickly sat down and slumped in her seat just before the bell rang.

An hour later, the bell rang once again and students flooded out the doors. Crystal was relieved to have another school day over with, though this day had not been awful. Only stressful, but that was something she was growing accustomed to.

She found her way to her locker without any guidance and threw as many books and binders in as she could. She did a mental checklist of all the material she would need for her homework before shutting the metal door and walking outside. As if on cue, her cell phone vibrated violently in her pocket. She opened the lock screen to view a reassuring text from her sister.

"I'm on my way! An so is Lockjaw. I said "drive" and he jumped in the convertible."

Crystal giggled softly picturing her ginormous canine sticking his oversize tongue out, his jowls blowing in the mind.

"Laughing at your phone while walking alone? My, my, you are quite the socialite," a familiar voice said.

Crystal looked up, her face instantly lighting the second she recognized Pietro's face. "Oh hey! And for your information, my sister just texted me something funny. But anyway... Hey, did you change clothes?"

Pietro nodded. "Yeah, I just got out of the locker room. Track practice. You know, hence the running clothes and sports bag," he motioned with his hands.

Crystal just realized the bag. "Damn... I don't even have a snappy comeback. I just flat out didn't see that. Not quite sure how I missed your bag, either. What the hell are you carrying in there? A fetus?"

He laughed. "No, I am pretty sure there are NO fetuses in my track bag. I just have a lot of extra clothes, shoes, and water."

Crystal poked his bag. "Nope, that's definitely a fetus in there. No doubt about it." She was completely joking around, but her dead serious look made it difficult for Pietro to understand.

"Okay, well, no. No unborn children in here. Anyway, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch, right?" He asked her as they opened up the front doors together.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you then. Have fun at track!" she waved.

Crystal felt... Different. But in the best way possible. By establishing friendships with people outside her family, she was beginning to feel normal. She could live the typical teenage life with drama, gossip, and maybe even boys. Her secretive life with her family prior to her transfer to public high school would have never allowed her to feel this normal.

Normal, but yet so different...


	4. Chapter 4

After track practice, Pietro let himself into his house. He greeted his sister, who was reading a book on the couch in the living room.

"Hey, Wanda."

"Hey, Pie. Did you cheat at practice today?" she asked passively, not looking up from her book.

He smirked softly. "Only a little. Thanks for the support. Anyway, what's for dinner?"

She shrugged. "I haven't eaten, so maybe I could- Holy shit, go take a shower!" said wrinkled her nose.

"What? Did you say you wanted a hug?" he smirked and sauntered over to her, arms out like a zombie.

"If you take one more step, I will... I will... Ugh, just get the hell away!" she attempted to threaten, but was too distracted by his stench.

"C'meeeere!" he laughed.

She put her hand out and it glowed a vibrant red. Soon, Pietro's entire body was engulfed by the glow. "Stop."

He kept chuckling. "Okay, okay. Can you whip us something up while I take a shower?"

She nodded. "Yeah..." she paused for a moment then grabbed her cell phone. "Okay, so what kind of pizza do you want?"

"Pepperoni!"

"Kay," she said as she started tapping the numbers into her phone.

"Gee, thanks, sister. You're the best!" he smirked devilishly then leaned down to her, wrapping his orderous body around her in a bear hug.

"PIETRO!"

Monday morning, the twins walked together to school, as per usual. Wanda had a small latte in her hands from Starbucks, though the closest coffee shop is 10 miles away. Pietro always went for a coffee run for his sister.

The two conversed quietly, both still trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes. Wanda is always prompt and wakes up early to get ready for school, but despite his speed, Pietro is continuously late. His sister has to drag him out of bed and force him to get ready.

About fifty feet in front of them, Crystal got out of her sister's car. "Have a good day, Medusa. Bye!" she waved.

Pietro and Wanda noticed their new friend. The male twin instantly perked up. "Crystal! Hey!" He called.

She turned around and smiled. "Oh, hey guys! How are you?"

"Good," they answered in unison.

The three made small talk about how their weekend was as they trudged to the school. Wanda glared at her brother as she explained the events on Friday night. Crystal giggled and looked up at Pietro.

"That's so gross!" she said, still giggling. She was walking in between the twins, dividing them. "Man, if you did that to me, I'd light your ass on fire. Quite literally."

"I'll have to remember that. So, your mutation is that you can utilize fire?" he asked curiously.

She gave him a confused looked. "Mu... Mutation? I don't understand."

"You know, your mistaken genetics. They allow you to control fire?" Wanda chimes in.

"No, no! I'm an..." she opened the door to the school and found the hallways near empty. "Oh crap, I have to get to homeroom! I'll talk to you guys at lunch. Bye!" she waved and ran away.

The twins exchanged puzzled glances.

At lunch, Pietro and Wanda sat down at their seemingly reserved table and awaited their new friend for an explanation. Crystal eventually made her way in and sat down.

"I swear, everybody's fucking diseased around here..." she mumbled.

Pietro was taking a sip of his soda, which nearly came out of his nose hen he heard the new girl's comment. "What?!" He laughed hard as he cleaned himself up.

"These people! They're all hyped on... something. There's no explanation as to why they're always turning and running and shouting in the hallways!" she ranted.

The twins ate in silence for a moment. "You good?" Wanda asked after a while.

"Yeah... I guess. Thanks for listening. Or being on Ritalin."

Pietro smirked softly. "No meds here. So anyway... want to finish our conversation from earlier? About how you're apparently NOT a mutant?"

Crystal nodded then looked around, making sure nobody besides them was listening. Johnny Storm returned her glance for a brief moment and flashed a smile, but he soon turned back to his conversation. The new girl leaned closer to her friends.

"Alrighty, well... Where should I begin? I suppose I should start off saying that I am a member of the Inhuman race. My family... We value the Terrigen Mists, which when exposed to them at infancy, grant us powers. I am able to control all four elements, not just fire."

"Fascinating!" Wanda remarked.

"Holy shit! That's awesome," her brother said, studying the new girl as she spoke. He was beginning to notice a bright sparkle in her eyes, but he did his best not to get lost in them. He knew if his sister caught him giving googly eyes to a girl, he'd never hear the end of it.

After lunch, Pietro walked slowly with Crystal. It was unlike him to not rush to his classes, but he was willing to in order to spend more time alone with Crystal.

"So... Inhuman. That's really cool, honestly."

She smile softly. "Why thank you. And being a mutant must be cool as well, yes?" She asked.

He shook his head a little. "Mhm, not really. Sort of detested by humans."

"Oh please, you're preaching to the choir," she said and pushed him playfully. He hardly budged.

"Well, it seems we have many things in common..." he chuckled then looked at her.

"Yeah, I suppose we do," she said, not getting that he's trying to flirt with her. "Oh, okay good, Johnny's here. I'll see you after school or something. See ya," she smiled warmly at him before walking to her other friend.

Pietro's face fell as she left him. It was so natural for her; she floated from one person to the next. Of course, it was never her intention to hurt people's feelings. Her friendly personality made her so likable, so of course she was gaining friends. Crystal had a way of making the people feel as if they were the only person in the world. Her eyes would pierce deep into their soul, drawing out deep secrets they kept locked away. It made her trusting in one way, but manipulating in another.

From across the hallway, Wanda noticed her brother's downhearted mannerisms. She was so tempted to get inside his head and fill his mind with happy memories, but she was hesitant to toy with him. She was protective of her twin and did not want to see him get hurt by a girl, but also did not want to upset him. It was an silently agreement that she did not go inside his head.

Meanwhile, Crystal made small talk with Johnny. They casually conversed about the weather, but the new girl quickly grew bored of the meaningless chat. It was a little difficult speak with Johnny. The twins, Pietro and his wit especially, made conversations feel flowing and natural.

Crystal's mind wandered off to random topics, though her mouth was still moving. She thought about her old home... Lockjaw... Pietro's hair. She lingered on that topic a bit. She wondered if it was naturally white, or if he frequently dyed it. Either way, it looked extremely fluffy. Next time she saw him, she decided sternly, she would touch his hair.

"So, football game Friday?" Johnny smiled warmly at her.

"Mhm yeah," she mumbled quietly, still lost in thought.

"Cool, I'll give you my number..." he said the looked for a piece of paper that wasn't covered in notes. "Damn. Well, here," he said then grabbed a pen. He wrote his digits on her arm.

She jumped a little, coming back to realization when he felt the cool, felt tip hit her skin. "Oh! Uh, thanks. I'll text you later then," she said then sat down. She continued to zone in and out of reality during the class period.

After school, Crystal found her way to the boy's locker room and waited outside. Pietro came out soon after and instantly saw her. "Oh hey. Were you, um, waiting for me?"

She nodded. "Yep... Hey, can I ask you something?" she asked quietly as she moved toward him slowly.

He felt his cheeks heat up. His heart was racing. This was it, he told him. She DID like him and now she was going to ask him out. He braced himself for a possible kiss and put down his track bag. "G-Go ahead, Crystal."

"Can I feel your hair?"

He paused for a couple seconds. "...What?"

"Okay, okay, I know it's weird, but hear me out. I like your hair. And i'm super curious. Is it fluffy like I think? Is it actually damaged from dye? I have to know."

He stood there silently in awe.

Crystal took that as a "go ahead" and stood right up against him. She got up on her tippy-toes, their faces centimeters apart, and she extended one of her arms. Carefully, she stroked his locks.

"Wow, it IS fluffy!"

He blinked.

She got down from her tippy toes then backed away. She smiled warmly and waved cutely, using only her four fingers. "I gotta go, Pietro. Have fun at track!"

The male twin stood completely still, something he would have otherwise thought of as impossible. He saw the number written on across her forearm. Eventually, he swallowed hard and slung his track bag over his shoulder, beginning his walk to the school's stadium for practice.

"I've known her for, what, a grand total of five days? I hardly know her. And she hardly knows me. Why the fuck did I ever think she would be spontaneously into me?" he thought, keeping his head down.

As he passed the AP computer science classroom, Wanda noticed her brother. "He's going to be late... He's being so sluggish. God, I hope Crystal didn't hurt him..." she thought.

"Hey, can you pass me the blue pliers, Wanda?" her teacher, Dr. Hank Pym, asked her.

"R-Right. Sorry," she said and handed them to him.

Hank clipped a tiny wire. "There..." he mumbled to himself before looking up at his class, who all agreed to stay after and work on the groundbreaking project. "Class, I believe we have finished. Behold..." he trailed off as he tightened a few screws, securing the face plate. "The Vision!"


	5. Chapter 5

The Vision's gem gleamed a bright yellow as he seemingly came to life. The class took a collective gasp at their masterpiece as the android slowly sat up from the lab table.

The android looked around at the students, studying each face carefully. "Good afternoon, everyone," he eventually said.

"Good afternoon to you as well, Vision," Dr. Pym responded. "Have you files been transferred correctly? Do you know who am I? Where you are?"

"Why yes, you are Doctor Henry "Hank" Pym. You teacher Advanced Placement computer science and chemistry. You are also courting Dr. Van Dyne, the biology teacher here."

The students giggled excitedly because they thought the two teachers were dating, but now they had proof. Dr. Pym and Dr. Van Dyne were always in each other's classrooms and eating lunch together.

The computer science teacher blushed. "H-How did that get into the file? Well, never mind that. Let me introduce you to the star pupils who helped create you."

Dr. Pym called out a couple names to begin with. "And, of course, Wanda Maximoff..." he trailed on.

Wanda smiled warmly at the android and waved. Most of the students were a little creeped out by Vision, but she could not have cared less. Humans scared her a lot more than androids.

After class, Wanda a couple other students stayed after class to help clean up. She walked closer to Vision curiously, wondering just how humanoid he is. "Hello again, Vision," she smiled as she put a wrench into a took box.

He followed the sound of the voice and looked directly at her. "Hello again..." he searched his memory files for her name. "Wanda."

She giggled softly. "Honestly, that's so cool. Or, excuse me, you're so cool."

"Cool? I believe my internal temperature is maintaining homeostasis rather well."

"Oh my, you have a lot to learn, Vision."

Dr. Pym walked back over. "He'll have to start that learning tomorrow. For now, I have to shut him off for overnight. When I get her tomorrow, I'll turn him back on. Thanks for all your help today, Wanda. It's time we all head home."

Wanda nodded. "Oh, alright. It was nice creating and meeting you, Vision. I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled warmly once again.

"Goodbye," the android responded, copying her happy facial expression.

The next day at lunch, it was just Pietro and Crystal. Wanda was back in Dr. Pym's room toying with the project again, leaving her heartbroken brother and clueless friend to themselves.

Crystal sat down in her same spot, right across from Pietro. "Hey, Pie," she smiled cutely.

He glared coldly. "Only my sister can call me that."

"Jeez, okay. Sorry. Hey, since it's just you and I, why don't we sit with Johnny at his table? He invited me," she offered.

"That hothead? No thanks," he mumbled.

"Aww, what's wrong with Johnny? He's been just as great as you have been to me, especially helping me around the school."

Silence.

"Oh, and he's started inviting me places. Like, Friday, we're going to the football game together. Why don't you and Wanda join us?" she asked, extremely peppy.

"Christ, will you shut up, Crystal?!" he raised his voice, slamming his lunch tray on the table. "That guy's an asshole, he just wants to play you like every other girl he's been with, and now you're trying to drag my sister and I into your drama! Well guess what?! We don't care! We hardly even know you! And Wanda and I sure as hell don't waste our Friday nights with fake pride on the sidelines! We hate this school! We hate the people! And I guess you're no exception!" his nearly screamed in her face, his intensity sharpening with every word.

She put her head down, her lower lip and chin starting to quibble. Her hair cascading over her shoulders, hiding her reddening face. She did not know what to do. Most of the cafeteria was staring at her and Pietro already, but she detested the attention. She wanted to run home to Medusa and Lockjaw.

"My family was right," she thought to herself as a couple tears rolled down her cheeks. "Public school, private school... it doesn't matter. I'm always hated. Attilan is the only place for me."

Pietro looked around at everyone, knowing that they felt awful for Crystal and the way he yelled at her. He did not care. He rose from his chair and sped out the cafeteria doors, going to did his sister. Wanda was the only one he could trust. She would always be on his side.

He found his way to the computer science classroom and saw Wanda. She had a chair pulled up to Vision and the two were talking, even joking, among themselves. Only Dr. Pym and Dr. Van Dyne were in the classroom with her, but they were eating their lunch as his desk. The two were so engrossed in each other's eyes that they might have well been not there.

Pietro grabbed his sister's wrist. "We're leaving."

She looked up at him, startled. "Wh-What? What happened?"

"I'll explain on the way. Let's just go."

"Go where?! Pietro, what the hell's going on?" she demanded.

Vision looked up at the two, concerned. "Is everything alright, Miss Maximoff?"

Pietro wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Her name is Wanda and it's none of your business, you wannabe laptop." He brought his sister to her feet and picked her up, running away.

Crystal sat alone at her lunch table, weeping as quietly as she could. She did not understand why the world was after her, nor why people just like her hated her as well. She could understand why humans abhorred her species, but not mutants. She had felt a connection between them.

Johnny quickly made his way over to her table. He pulled a chair next to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Crystal... I'm so sorry about all those mean things he said to you," he whispered soothingly. "I know it's none of my business, but I'm here for you to talk about it..." he offered sweetly. There was nothing spurious about his offer.

She looked up at him slowly, her hair falling back into place on her shoulders. "Tell me one thing... If we continued to go out to football games and such, would you, um... Would you get bored of me easily and quickly find another girl?" she asked, trying to get around directly accusing him of being a player, the idea Pietro painted in her head.

His eyes soften and he stood up. "Hey, c'mere. Let's talk somewhere more private..." he offered out his hand to her. She took it hesitantly and followed him as he led her to the library loft. He sat in a chair, and after she did the same, he held both of her hands and looked into her eyes.

"Crystal, I know you've only been here for a little while, but I know you've already been through a lot. It stinks being the new person in school, I know. You make a lot of weird friends at first because you're not sure just yet of who's trustworthy and who isn't. Life takes a lot of trial and error.

"So to answer you questions, no. No, I will not jump around from you to another girl. The Maximoff guy was right in that I used to do that. A lot. I've had a so many girlfriends in high school, but that's not something I'm exactly proud of.

"With you, despite just meeting you the other day, I feel something else. Something I've never felt before in any woman I've ever gone out with," he chuckled softly but nervously before going on. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I really like you. Already. And I've never had butterflies in my stomach quite like this," he smiled sheepishly and anxiously at Crystal.

Her tears had officially dried throughout his speech. Deep inside, she felt hope. Perhaps she was not completely hated after all. Perhaps... Perhaps not everyone was the same.

She looked into his eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

And with that, Johnny put a gentle hand on her cheek, his other hand still holding hers. He leaned in slowly, closing his eyes. Crystal's eyes fluttered closed as she leaned in as well, their lips finally meeting.

\---  
A/N: Okay, so I'm actually getting pretty angry at myself for how cheesy and cliche this shit is getting. So... that's going to change. PREPARE FOR SHIT TO GO DOWN!


	6. Chapter 6

The following school year, Crystal walked into the building holding Johnny's hand. She and her boyfriend greeted nearly everyone they passed. "Can you believe it?! We're seniors!" she would squeal over and over again.

 

The couple walked to Crystal's locker and they briefly broke their grasp as she dropped off a few things. She eventually closed the door and smiled sweetly at her boyfriend. Over his shoulder, she caught a quick glimpse of what she swore was white hair.

"Could... Could it be? Are the twins back?" she wondered silently. After Pietro's breakdown at lunch the previous school year, the Maximoffs had seemingly fallen off the side of the earth. They had vanished, and most people did not care to know where they went.

"You ready?" Johnny asked kindly, interrupting her thoughts.

"Wha-? Oh, yeah. Sure."

She shut her locker then holds her boyfriend's hand again, walking in the opposite direction of the white haired twin.

\---

At lunch, Wanda found her way to her computer science classroom from the previous school year. She looked around curiously, wondering what happened to her android companion.

In the far corner, away from any desks or computers, was a sealed off container. Wanda smiled softly to herself and wandered over. On top of the container read, "DO NOT OPEN." Past the sign, she saw the Vision, resting peacefully inside.

"He looks like he's been in there for so long..." she noted as she gently ran her finger across the container, picking up clumps of dust. She quickly flicked the particles off before looking around, wanting to ask someone as to why the Vision was sealed off.

"Perhaps it's because he's for classroom demonstration only. That's all," she thought as she ran her fingers gently over the control board. She typed in the 4-digit password (which she obtained after visiting Vision every lunch period last year and Dr. Pym was tired of having to stop his conversation with Dr. Van Dyne and type in) then tapped the giant "OPEN" button.

The container slowly let out air and steam kept inside by the controlled climate. She stood back and waited patiently for the android to reboot.

Dr. Pym walked in just then, his head buried in a stack of papers. He did not notice Wanda or the Vision until the android was fully sitting up in his container.

"WANDA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he yelled furiously, dropping his papers. He ran to the back of his classroom.

"O-Oh hello Dr. Pym. Why are you yelling at me? I'm just awakening Vision. We turned into quite the friends last year."

"You don't understand, he-!!" Dr. Pym began, but was swiftly cut short.

Vision's eyes glowed a vibrant, angry red as he scanned the two. "TWO HUMANS DETECTED. MUST DESTROY," an unfamiliar voice boomed out of the android's mouth. The glowing intensified and Dr. Pym pulled Wanda away.

"H-HE HAS SOME SORT OF VIRUS! IT CALLS ITSELF ULTRON AND EVERY TIME VISION TURNS ON, HE MAKES UPGRADES AND THREATS!" he explained, panicking.

Wanda gasped and looked at Vision, feeling utterly betrayed by her former friend. She firmly tugged her wrist away from her teacher then planted her feet. "Vision, I ask you NICELY to stand down. Rid yourself of this virus. Reboot once again," she attempted to negotiate with voice commands.

The android shot at her with laser beams, which the female twins narrowly dodged. Part of the blast managed to fry the ends of her luscious, brown curls.

She gasped once again, but this time in anger more so than disbelief. Dr. Pym tried to grab her and run, but Wanda narrowed her eyes. "You hit my hair! Oh, you son of a BITCH!" she roared, her hands and eyes glowing red now.

She tensed every muscle in her body, especially those in her hands. She concentrated as she manipulated her powers to engulf the entire android, slowly ripping him limb from limb. Vision's wires, still active, shot electricity from them. They nearly caught on to something and started a fire, but Dr. Pym would quickly stomp the flames out.

The lunch bell rung seconds after Wanda released her grip on Vision. Knowing exactly where his sister would be during lunch, Pietro showed up at the classroom door and poked his head in. "Hey, you ready-" he asked, but saw the mess in the back. He rushed to his sister's side.

"Are you alright?!" he looked deep into her eyes. "What the hell happened here? ... And why does it smell like burning hair?"

She let out a slow breath, still calming down after using her powers so viciously. "I opened the Vision's container without permission... And yes, I am alright. You are as well, Dr. Pym, right?" she looked around her brother to her teacher.

Dr. Pym nodded slightly. "Yes. Just... stressed. Extremely, extremely stressed. Now let's get away from here so I can call a janitor. And write up what your detention will be."

Wanda looked up at her brother wide-eyed. She was in complete disbelief that she, a well behaved, near straight A student would receive a detention. Her brother quietly put his head down and followed the teacher to the front of the room. She trudged along with them.

After Dr. Pym made a frantic call to the janitor's office, he sat down at his desk. Students were just beginning to roam the hallways and make their ways back to class. The teacher ran a hand through his hair before lecturing Wanda.

Outside the room, Crystal quickly kissed Johnny's cheek goodbye. "See you later, hun," she smiled softly and let go of his hand. She twisted the handle and made her way into Dr. Pym's classroom. She nearly stopped dead in her tracks when she laid eyes upon the twins.

The two had their heads down solemnly as they listened to the teacher, though the conversation was aimed at Wanda. However, Crystal mostly studied the male twin's face as she sat down at her desk in the front row.

"His jawline is much more pronounced... More muscular. And... stubble? Ooh," she giggled softly to herself. He was always cleanly shaven and baby-faced last year. Suddenly, memories of the lunch incident from the previous year flooded into her mind. "Oh... Right," she reminded herself of all his yelling. She put her head down and studied her notes while she still had a few minutes before class began.

More and more students began filling in the classroom. A couple janitors walked in with cleaning supplies, quietly mumbling, "excuse me, excuse me," as they shoved their way to the back of the room. Most pupils ignored the mess and talked with their friends.

The late bell rang and a couple stragglers still munching on their food walked in, but Dr. Pym hardly noticed. He was still reprimanding Wanda, blocking most of his surroundings out.

"Holy- Oh my god!" a janitor yelled.

Crystal, though hardly able to hear the exclamation from the front of the room, alertly turned around in her desk. Her eyes widened as she realized why the janitors were in shock.

The metal pieces and electrical wires that were flung everywhere when she had walked in mere minutes ago were completely reassembled. The Vision was laying down in his container once again, trying to reboot and turn back on.

"Uh... Dr. Pym?" she got out of her desk to try and get her teacher's attention.

"Not now, Crystal. I'm busy," he said sternly before turning back to Wanda. He gestured toward the female twin's hands and interrogated her about the red glow. Dr. Pym's former hard glare had softened into pure curiosity, but Wanda still looked just as uncomfortable and pained as before.

Students started noticing the Vision in the back of the room. They walked over and watched in awe as wired reattached themselves. The janitors tried to push the pupils back, but they kept gathering.

The last wire attached itself and Vision's gem started to glow yellow. His eyes, a contrasting evil red, shot open suddenly. Some of the students jumped back, frightened.

The android sat up quickly and scanned everyone in the room. He zoomed in on his targets from earlier, Wanda and Dr. Pym, in the front of the room. "TWENTY-SEVEN HUMANS DETECTED. TWO TARGETS. MUST DESTROY," the voice boomed again. The glow in his eyes grew as he fired.

"UH, DR. PYM!" Crystal yelled as she jumped in front of the twins and her teacher. She put her hands up in defense, drawing water from the air and creating a large shield for all of them. She slammed into Pietro as her shield took the beams.

"UNG!" Crystal grunted. Pietro looked at her in surprise, putting his arms around her so she does not get shoved into the metal desk. She holds her shield as he holds her.

Wands draws two tight fists, her hands and eyes engulfed by her signature red glow once again. As soon as Vision stops firing and Crystal puts the shield down, the female twin climbed on top of a desk and started making other desks float. "DO NOT MAKE NE HURT YOU, VISION!" she roared in anger.

The janitors and students ran out as fast as they could. Between Wanda and Crystal, the android was distracted enough so they could escape.

Vision got out of his container and stood up, a little wobbly at first. "And why would you want to hurt me, Wanda Maximoff?" the unfamiliar voice asked. His tone completely changed from robotic to conversational.

"You- You shot at me! Now lay back down and shut off, Vision!" she commanded , ready to hurl some heavy desks at him.

The android chuckled a blood-boiling laugh. "Vision? No, no. That program is dead, Wanda. I am Ultron, Dr. Pym's child, if you will."

Wanda, Pietro, and Crystal all looked at the terrified teacher.

"You created him?!" Pietro asked.

Dr. Pym nodded reluctantly. "I had help from Mr. Stark and Dr. Van Dyne, but... Yes. I am Ultron's main creator. But I never intended for him to infect Vision like this."

The android smirked softly. "That's not way to talk to your son," he joked coldly before shooting more lasers at Dr. Pym.

"SHIT!" Crystal yelled, unprepared for a shield. Caught up in the spur of the moment, she jumped in front of her teacher and took the blasts right to the torso.

Pietro's eyed lit up in horror as he watched her take the hit. She landed hard on the classroom floor, her midsection burnt and starting to bleed profusely.

"CRYSTAL!" he yelled and knelt down to her. He scooped her up and, without much thinking, run as fast as he could outside the school, leaving his sister and teacher behind.

Pietro laid her down gently on the lawn behind the school. "Crystal?! Crystal, are you okay?" he asked frantically.

She looked up at him slowly. "N-No... Not at all," she smiled softly. "I have a gaping wound right in the middle of me."

"I know; I know! So then why are you smiling?!" he asked as gently applied pressure to her torso.

"C-Could be delirium... Could be that I think I just got my friend back," she smiled even brighter up at him. She slowly reached up and touched the side of his face, her hand cold and wobbly.

Pietro's cheeks hardly heated up. He was too focused on trying to stop her bleeding to think of anything else.

"P-Pie... Call 911..." she smirked softly, appreciating his attempted medical rescue but also knowing that he is not thinking straight. Her eyes grew heavier with every second.

"HEY! Stay awake!" he yelled at her as he pulled out his cell phone with one hand. Crystal took her hand away from his face as he shakily dialed the emergency number.

"Help is on the way, Crystal... Please, PLEASE stay awake for me," he begged, his eyes welling up.

"Will... Do..." she trailed off as she lost consciousness.

Pietro gently slapped her face a couple times. "Wake up, wake up!!" he yelled, his voice starting to get hoarse. A couple tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Please wake up," he whispered before adding, "I'm sorry for being such a dick last year. I'm so, so sorry...." he put his head down and sobbed quietly, one hand now gently stroking her strawberry blonde hair.

The emergency vehicles pulled up to the school a few minutes later. The EMTs set up multiple gurneys in record time.

"Over here!" Pietro waved to the emergency personnel.

"WE HAVE ONE CASUALTY INSIDE THE SCHOOL BUILDING. THEY ARE PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!" the head EMT yelled to the others. The squad ran inside as fast as they can, hauling in equipment.

Pietro's heart sank, coming to realization.

"W-Wanda...?" he whispered almost inaudibly, abruptly stopping stroking Crystal's hair.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry for taking so long with a short chapter. I... I haven't been doing so well. I nearly lost a friend (not death, she just did not want to be friends anymore), and that sent me into a pretty deep depression for a couple days. But now I'm back, and I a little better!

Also, if anybody is into roleplaying marvel characters, please, message me on here! I need a new roleplaying buddy.  
\---

*Rewind*

Wanda glared at her former android friend, her eyes glowing an angry, fiery scarlet. She could have forgave Vision for shooting her hair, but now he had injured Crystal. Enough was enough.

Wanda tensed all her muscles once again, summoning all the sorcery power she could handle. Her body started to ache and burn from all the energy pooling inside of her. She tilted her head back and let out a loud scream, her red glow expanded from just the palms of her hands to the far walls of the classroom, blowing out the glass in the windows and pushing back surrounding desks.

The infected android smirked devilishly. "Quite the light show. But with your body, so untrained and weak, how powerful are you?" he toyed with her. In his robotic consciousness, he was calculating how much energy she was outputting and how much he was able to.

"She is more powerful than I," Ultron concluded in his mind. "But she is highly unstable. If I could mess with her head, perhaps that will get her guard down," he planned out carefully.

Wanda could hardly think. She was bent on revenge, yet deep down, fille with rage and betrayal. The mix of emotions and power she yielded were extremely overwhelming.

"W-Wanda! You- You're levitating!" Dr. Pym called out, who was pinned against the front wall by his desk. There was minimal blood in his midsection where the desk hit him, but he was thankful Crystal took the worst hit for him.

Wanda finally realized what her teacher met. She did not have to look down to know that her feet were inches above the desk she was previously standing on. Flight was new to her; she had never been so powerful before in her life.

She aimed her hands at the android. "If ripping you apart is not enough, then how about transporting you to the Nth demention?" she roared, but the voice that came out was not hers. It was demonic.

She focused all her energy to her hands, the red glow forming a ginormous energy ball. Once the ball was big enough, she quickly cast a spell and opened a portal behind the android. She released the ball and it hurled toward the Vision, pushing the evil Ultron out of the android's body and into the portal. When the two were separated, the portal closed.

Wanda promptly collapsed and blacked out. The energy was too much for her, especially because she and Pietro do nit properly train their powers. She had always known that she could move objects and, when she focused hard enough, cast spells, but she was unprepared for any kind of battle like this. This energy was too much for her and exhausted her body.

The Vision's empty shell of a body fell lifelessly on the floor. Ultron was finally gone, but the android's consciousness had been taken away as well.

Dr. Pym watched everything, horrified at the scene. "Wanda is that powerful of a mutant?! And where did Ultron go?" he questioned. He had to shake all of those thoughts out of his head when he heard the door open.

Dr. Van Dyne poked her head and checked to see if the scene was clear of danger. She mentally sighed then carefully made her way over to her coworker, avoiding any class or other debris.

"Hank! What the hell happened here?! And are you okay?" she gasped as she noticed him trapped.

"The Vision... H-He had a virus that went out of control. Wanda Maximoff handled it," he groaned in pain.

"Here, let me push the desk away from you so you can get out," she narrated as she set her feet. Flexing her muscles, she shoved the metal desk away from her coworker.

Hank collapse down the side of the wall, his torso bleeding more. A drawer handle had impaled him, leaving a gaping wound and multiple broken ribs.

Janet put a hand over her mouth as she shakily took her phone out, calling 911. She slowly removed her hand as she spoke, stuttering many times as she studied her bloody coworker. She eventually made her way over to Wanda, explaining to the operator that the student had no apparent wounds.

Janet soon hung up and put her cell phone away. She felt slightly nauseous, but did not want to say anything to Hank. "It's a miracle that Wanda didn't get hurt... How did she handle this all, exactly?"

"Well... She's a mutant."


End file.
